Wardrobe Malfunctions Royals Had On Their Wedding Day

There are certain things that happen at every royal wedding — but wardrobe malfunctions are an unfortunate tradition that also can occur at such lavish events. Even the always-iconic Princess Diana had a fashion emergency on her big day. 

In addition to her dress becoming wrinkled from the carriage ride to the wedding, "Diana: The Portrait" by Rosalind Coward tells the story of a more pressing wardrobe malfunction for Princess Diana: a stain on her white wedding dress. Her perfume spilled shortly before the wedding was about to begin, and Diana panicked. According to the book, she said, "I've just put my perfume on and I've spilled some on the front of my dress. They'll kill me!" (via Express). Barbara Daly, Diana's makeup artist, told the people's princess to cover the stain by holding her skirt in that spot. To others, it would look like she was trying not to trip over it, and the stain would be concealed.

The culprit — also known as, the perfume that stained Diana's dress — was her favorite fragrance, Quelques Fleurs by Houbigant Paris. Diana and Daly's plan to cover the stain with her hand worked and not many people even saw the stain the day of the wedding. They did, however, hear Diana accidentally call Charles the wrong name during the vows, as instead of "Charles Philip Arthur George," the bride transposed the first two and said, "Philip Charles Arthur George."

In a tribute aired on the BBC after Queen Elizabeth II passed away, Queen Camilla told a story about the wardrobe malfunction from her own wedding day — and Elizabeth's reaction to it. Camilla accidentally put on a mismatched set of heels: " ... for some unknown reason, I put on a pair of shoes and one had an inch heel and one had a two-inch heel" (via Daily Mail). Camilla went on to say that she did not realize the mistake at first and, when Elizabeth noticed, the Queen laughed and then apologized for laughing. Camilla added that Elizabeth, " ... did, you know, she had a good sense of humor."

However, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip did not attend Charles and Camilla's actual wedding ceremony in 2005. The Church of England is against remarrying, and Elizabeth confided in a friend that she felt she could not go to a civil ceremony as Supreme Governor of the Church. The Queen's friend spoke to The Telegraph and added, "The Queen feels she has to put her role with the Church before her role as a mother."

At the time, an official spokesperson from the palace said that Elizabeth and Philip's absence was instead due to Charles and Camilla desiring, "to keep the occasion low-key" (via The Chicago Tribune). However, Elizabeth and Philip did attend the dedication service at St. George's Chapel and threw a wedding reception for the newlyweds.

One of the best moments from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's 2018 wedding was the fairytale-esque processional, as the newlyweds were pulled along in a horse-drawn carriage. Harry avoided sweat stains during the day in the same way William did for his wedding — with sweat pads under the arms. Unfortunately, Harry had a different wardrobe malfunction that was not seen by anyone else. 

"Finding Freedom: Harry and Meghan and the Making of a Modern Royal Family" by Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand details Harry's wedding wardrobe struggle. While Meghan was in awe at the crowds all around them, Harry was distracted. The prince was wearing a traditional Blues and Royals uniform, and although it was tailored, it still gave him some trouble. The book says, "Sitting down in the carriage beside his bride, Harry laughed that his trousers were 'too tight'" (via Hello!).

Thankfully, Harry's pants survived the day with no rips. He made it through his own wedding day without any noticeable fashion issues, but at a friend's wedding a few months later, Harry's shoes boasted a hole in the sole.